


Steps Out of Shadow

by AlternateSequel



Series: A New and Brighter Dawn [2]
Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Baby Jacen Syndulla, F/M, Gen, Kanan Jarrus Lives, Kanan Jarrus can see, Parents Kanan and Hera, Post-Star Wars: Rebels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:15:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24935908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlternateSequel/pseuds/AlternateSequel
Summary: I plan to update this chapter with artwork later . . . suggestions are welcome, though I have a couple of ideas already. :-)
Relationships: Ezra Bridger/C1-10P | Chopper/Kanan Jarrus/Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios/Hera Syndulla/Sabine Wren, Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla
Series: A New and Brighter Dawn [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1772785
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20





	Steps Out of Shadow

Baby Jacen closed his eyes and fell into a deep slumber, exhausted after his grand entrance. Hera held him close, her heart bursting with joy. This was new – so very new. The last time the entire Ghost crew had gathered at her bedside, she’d been recovering from the torture Pryce had directed on Lothal. She’d been anxious to get up and get going then. It was horrible to wait around in bed and do nothing. But now, with this beautiful new life in her arms, her husband’s restored vision, and the new title of “mother” to add to the list of names she’d been acquiring, Hera wanted to stay in this moment forever.

Kanan could not take his eyes off his wife and child and was almost afraid to close them, for fear this would only be temporary. When he did, at last, give in to the urge to blink, he found his sight still there. How could one as small as baby Jacen be strong enough in the Force to accomplish what the doctors had not? It would be an almost overwhelming responsibility to train him properly. He had heard only rumors of this rare Force ability – he could never tell for sure if were true until now. At any rate . . .

“Kanan?” Ezra’s voice hesitantly cut through the silence.

He had not seen Ezra or the others for a long time either. Slowly, with bated breath, he turned to face them.

They had changed so much – mostly. Zeb was the same, except his armor bore much more wear than when Kanan had last seen it. Sabine had dyed her hair yet another shade of purple. Her face had subtlely matured, as she had. Ezra had grown so much taller. His hair was clipped very short and he had long outgrown his favorite jacket. Kanan had known all this, but he’d had a picture of a younger Ezra stuck in his mind for so long that it was hard to undo.

“You can see again?” Sabine’s own eyes teared up, though she tried to hide it.

“Yes. Little Jacen –”

“He’s strong with the Force!” Ezra gasped. “Hey! When do _I_ get to learn that?”

A storm was rolling in on Lothal and the temperature had dropped in the makeshift supply facility. “We’d love to have you stay,” one of the locals offered as she finished cleaning up the birthing supplies.

“Thanks, but I think we’d better get back to the ship,” Kanan replied, one arm protectively around his wife and child. “The Empire knows us too well to skip making a visit.”

“Have you got everything you need for the baby? I mean . . . the Ghost isn’t exactly equipped with a nursery . . .”

“Oh, we have a nursery!” Sabine cut in. “Zeb built a railing onto one of the bunks and I painted a mural.”

The woman shook her head and sighed. “I don’t have much here,” she apologized, “but please accept these old clothes from my son. And these sleeping pills for yourself. Trust me – you’ll need them.”

“We bought some cloth diapers and baby bottles,” Hera supplied. “I think we’re all set.”

***

Ezra Bridger groaned as he held a pillow over his head, covering both his ears. “I don’t know how anyone is going to sleep,” he complained. “Why do babies have to be so loud?”

“Why do _you_ have to be so loud?” replied Zeb from the bunk beneath. “I was tuning it out okay until you started shuffling around up there.”

“Hey Zeb,” Ezra cut in, changing the subject, “care for a snack?”

“You know what Hera would say.” Zeb rolled his eyes.

Ezra jumped from his bunk and landed deftly on the floor, with enough noise the couple next door would have heard, were it not for the baby’s cries. “We don’t have to go through the kitchen,” he offered. “We won’t be caught this time.”

Zeb didn’t answer, but he sat up on the edge of his bunk, obviously interested.

“There’s a stash of protein bars in the hall cupboard.”

“Can’t sleep on an empty stomach,” Zeb admitted. He followed Ezra, his stomach already rumbling.

“Hey, keep that down!” teased Ezra, pressing the unlock button with one finger. The big crate he’d been referring to sat on the top shelf, out of reach even for Zeb. Ezra had no problem budging it and moving it with the Force. “Catch!” he called to Zeb, who was standing directly beneath.

But Zeb’s timing was off. Instead of catching the crate Ezra had lowered from the shelf, the heavy item hit him hard in the head, and he let out a pained yell. But worse yet was Ezra’s cry of surprise and betrayal when the contents flew from the falling container – diapers!

The door almost directly across from the closet suddenly opened and out stepped an exhausted Kanan, who surveyed the whole scene in a glance, processed it, and then burst into tired laughter.

“What’s so funny?” growled Zeb, pulling a cloth diaper from where it had landed on his head. “It’s really cruel to reuse the crate from the protein bars!”

“Hey, I could use a snack myself,” Kanan laughed, leading the way to the kitchen.

***

“Aww . . . such little toes!” Sabine held baby Jacen in her arms and felt his tiny toes with the tips of her fingers. “Can I sing to him?”

“That would be lovely.” Hera yawned. Caring for a newborn was exhausting. Neither she nor Kanan had gotten a full night of sleep since their little one had been born. Kanan didn’t seem to mind that he was running on only caf and the Force. He was making up for lost time using his recovered vision to catch up on all that had changed and running errands for Hera and the baby like a proud father does.

Sabine had a beautiful voice. It was perhaps her best kept secret. Singing wasn’t exactly something she did often in wartime. But baby Jacen seemed to be bringing out a lot of surprises – for everyone. As Sabine’s melodic voice broke into an ancient Mandalorian lullaby, Hera wondered at the rich culture behind a nation of warriors. Sabine was young, and in many ways unsure right now, but Hera could easily see her growing into a strong and capable leader like her mother, Ursa Wren. But she could just as easily be a gentle and caring protector.

Baby Jacen, not quite ready to fall asleep, smiled and reached for a strand of Sabine’s purple hair. She allowed him to play with it for a moment, letting the melody do its work, and his arm slowly returned to his side. He closed his eyes.

Hera didn’t dare break the peaceful silence, but nodded towards the crib.

Sabine moved smoothly and gracefully in that direction, and with a swift and gentle motion, made the transfer without waking the sleeping child.

That accomplished, Hera slipped out of the room and into her own where she could take a much needed nap. She was just about to sit down on the bed when a noise from behind made her jump.

On the chair beside the bed, a plump striped lothcat sat, its paw tentatively in the air, and mouth slightly open, ready to make another sound. “Mew!”

Hera laughed in spite of herself. She really needed sleep, and she wasn’t going to let a friendly animal get in the way of that. Ignoring the cat, she lay down on the bed and pulled a blanket around herself for warmth.

The cat, not knowing how to take a hint, leapt from the chair and curled itself up at her feet.

With a tired smile, Hera decided it could stay and closed her eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> I plan to update this chapter with artwork later . . . suggestions are welcome, though I have a couple of ideas already. :-)


End file.
